Ichiyama and Kirui Lead Marugame Half Elite Field

Last year's winners Betsy Saina and Edward Waweru, both of Kenya, return to the Feb. 3 Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon, but in both cases they have tough competition. Ranked #1 in the women's race is Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) with a 1:09:14, 3 seconds better than Saina's winning time last year. 3 seconds slower is Sinead Diver (Australia) with a 1:09:20 on home ground last year. Sara Hall (U.S.A.) isn't far behind, and with track star Ayuko Suzuki (Japan Post) making her debut off a brilliant run at last weekend's National Women's Ekiden it should be a solid pack up front.

In the men's race, 2017 marathon world champion Geoffrey Kirui (Kenya) leads the way, his best recent time a 1:00:04 in New Delhi two years ago. Only 2 seconds behind is Shadrack Kiplagat (Kenya), with Evans Cheruiyot (Kenya) and the Japan-based Waweru just over 20 seconds back. Waweru's condition is a question mark after an injury at the New Year Ekiden. Kenta Murayama (Asahi Kasei) leads the home crew, with an interesting duo from Chuo University, Ken Nakayama and Kensuke Horio, hoping to improve on their sub-62 bests. Jack Rayner (Australia) is another interesting addition, while Germany's Richard Ringer will be making his debut off a 27:36.52 track 10000 m best.

73rd Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon

Elite Field Highlights
Kagawa, Marugame, 2/3/19
comp;lete elite field listing: part A, part B
times listed are best within last 3 years except where noted

Women
Mao Ichiyama (Japan/Wacoal) - 1:09:14 (Sanyo 2017)
Betsy Saina (Kenya) - 1:09:17 (Marugame 2018)
Sinead Diver (Australia) - 1:09:20 (Maroochydore 2018)
Sara Hall (U.S.A.) - 1:09:27 (Gold Coast 2018)
Rachel Cliff (Canada) - 1:10:08 (The Woodlands 2018)
Sara Dossena (Italy) - 1:10:10 (Udine 2018)
Carlotte Purdue (Great Britain) - 1:10:29 (London 2018)
Keiko Nogami (Japan/Juhachi Ginko) - 1:11:16 (Sanyo 2017)
Eri Hayakawa (Japan/J-Beat) - 1:11:43 (Marugame 2017)
Shiori Morita (Japan/Panasonic) - 1:12:23 (Sendai 2018)
Mei Matsuyama (Japan/Noritz) - 1:12:58 (Marugame 2016)
Ayuko Suzuki (Japan/Japan Post) - debut - 31:18.16 (Stanford 10000 m 2016)

Men
Geoffrey Kirui (Kenya) - 1:00:04 (New Delhi 2017)
Shadrack Kiplagat (Kenya) - 1:00:06 (Prague 2018)
Evans Cheruiyot (Kenya) - 1:00:26 (Istanbul 2018)
Edward Waweru (Kenya/NTN) - 1:00:31 (Marugame 2018)
Kenta Murayama (Japan/Asahi Kasei) - 1:00:50 (New York 2017)
Jack Rayner (Australia) - 1:01:01 (Cardiff 2018)
Vincent Laimoi (Kenya/Kokushikan Univ.) - 1:01:19 (Ageo 2018)
Simon Kariuki (Kenya/Nihon Yakka Univ.) - 1:01:25 (Ageo 2017)
Ken Nakayama (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:01:32 (Ageo 2018)
Keita Shitara (Japan/Hitachi Butsuryu) - 1:01:54 (Marugame 2016)
Kensuke Horio (Japan/Chuo Univ.) - 1:01:57 (Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai 2018)
Richard Ringer (Germany) - debut - 27:36.52 (London 10000 m 2018)

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

19-Yr-Old Munakata Breaks Miura's U20 NR to Win Ageo City Half Marathon

The Ageo City Half Marathon is always big, the main race that the coaches of Hakone Ekiden-bound university men's teams use for firming up their entry rosters for the big show. That makes what's basically an idyllic small town race into one of the world's great road races, with depth unmatched anywhere. One of the top-tier people on the start list at 1:02:07, Kodai Miyaoka (Hosei Univ.) took the race out fast, but the entire pack was keying off the fastest man in the race, Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.), 1:00:31. Yoshida reeled Miyaoka in before 5 km and kept things steady in the low-1:01 range, wearing down the lead group to around 10 including his CGU teammate Taisei Ichikawa , a quartet from Izumo and National University Ekiden runner-up Komazawa University , 2 runners from local Daito Bunka University , 2:07:54 marathoner Atsumi Ashiwa (Honda), and Australian Ed Goddard . Right after 15 km Komazawa went into action, Yudai Kiyama , Hibiki Murakami and Haru Tanin

Ageo City Half Marathon Preview and Streaming

This weekend's big race is the Ageo City Half Marathon , the next stop on the collegiate men's circuit. Most of the universities bound for the Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden use Ageo to thin down the list of contenders for their final Hakone rosters, and with JRN's development program that sends the first two Japanese collegiate finishers in Ageo to the United Airlines NYC Half every year a lot of coaches put in some of their A-listers too. That gives Ageo legendary depth and fast front-end speed, with a 1:00:47 course record last year from Kenyan corporate leaguer Paul Kuira (JR Higashi Nihon) and the top 26 all clearing 63 minutes. Since a lot of programs just enter everybody on their rosters you never really know who on the entry list is actually going to show up, but if even a quarter of the people at the top end of this year's list run it'll be a great race, even if conditions are looking likely to be a bit warmer than ideal. Chuo Gakuin University 's Reishi Yoshi

10000 m NR Attempt In the Works Saturday at Hachioji Long Distance - Streaming and Preview

There are a bunch of other time trial meets this weekend and next, but Saturday's Hachioji Long Distance is the last big meet for Japanese men, 8 heats of Wavelight-paced 10000 m finely graded from target times of 28:50 down to 26:59 for the fastest heat. Heat 6 at 17:55 local time is effectively the B-race, with 35 Japan-based Kenyans targeting 27:10 at the front end, and in a lot of cases a spot on their teams at the New Year Ekiden national championship on Jan. 1. Corporate teams are only allowed to field one non-Japanese athlete in the New Year Ekiden, and only on its shortest stage, and getting to that has a big impact on African athletes' contracts and renewal prospects. Toyota Boshoku , Yasukawa Denki , Chugoku Denryoku , Aisan Kogyo , JR Higashi Nihon , Subaru and 2024 national champion Toyota are all fielding two Kenyans, and Aichi Seiko three. For people like Toyota's Felix Korir and Samuel Kibathi , getting as close to the 27:10 target time as they can and

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